


step on the glass, staple your tongue

by blessed_image



Series: bury a friend: umbrella academy fics [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Agender Number Five | The Boy, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hallucinations, Manipulation, Minor AU, Non-Binary Five, Number Five | The Boy Has Issues, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, Other, SO, Schizophrenia, anyway, enby five, five doesnt know what humanity is anymore, kinda made dolores a bit of a bitch sorry bout that but i do love her legend, probably could be read as schizophrenia since they cant decipher reality from hallucinations, sorry five babey :(, the major character death is like??? the apocalypse shit with the other bitches, we need more enby five content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 19:10:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18079253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blessed_image/pseuds/blessed_image
Summary: Dolores never lied to them. Never.





	step on the glass, staple your tongue

“Be honest with me, Dolores.” Five whispers, staring at the wall with glazed eyes- not really all there. “Do you think Vanya is out there? Really?” their voice breaks on the last syllable, and it takes all their willpower not to let the wetness in their eyes become more.

There’s a few cold seconds of silence, besides the weak whistle of wind exerting pressure against the building. Dolores clicks her tongue.

“ _No._ ” she shakes her head, glossy lips pulled down into a sorrowful smile. Five closes their eyes slowly, pursing their lips and counting to seven in their head. “ _She probably won’t be. As if she would even recognise you.”_

Five nods, understanding what she is saying- even though it pains them to hear.  _After all, Dolores never lied to them._

 

* * *

 

Frowning, they focus- waiting for the right moment; a moment where time itself is split into a grand kaleidoscope display of shards. They pick out that one fragment, in which all the colours of the universe weave themselves together- and  _pushes._

_They push and push and push and push until they feel something finally break. Maybe it was their arm. It feels heavy enough._

Huffing, recollecting themself for a small moment. The feeling of dirt, and moss, and stone scratches at their skin- and Five feels exposed suddenly to the cool air, no longer ashy and no longer warm.

They haven’t felt this cold in _years_.

Five bunches up their fists, using suddenly much more clearer vision to watch the soil fall gracefully through their fingers- and looks up finally.

People. Actual, living, breathing people- their chests rising and falling, their hair blowing in the wind. Their eyes confused, scared- varying in degrees of shock.

Dolores flashes in their mind for a second. She never looked at them like that; soft features only ever contorting happily or sadly. Basic emotions: the type a 2 year old would be able to recognise and name. Not shock. Not fear.

_Dolores was never scared of them. They love her so much for that._

But this was something...something more. They didn’t exactly like it- how could they? Yet, it was just _more_. More human. More relaxing. It was almost a relief to be stared at so intensely. Dolores stared right through them sometimes.

“Five?” one of the people ask.

 _ Asks. It’s asking them a _ _question_.

Nodding their head, Five furrows their brow- and it’s as if a balloon in their head bursts; because suddenly, all they can think about is how strikingly similar this human looks to one of the bodies they saw that day. The same nose, same hair, same everything.

It’s voice doesn’t quite fit it’s features though they believe. It’s almost too vivid. Like as if they could grab ahold of it, and let it puddle in their palms like water.

“Where the hell have you been?” another one asks, and Five thinks: _Oh_. _It’s_ _you_. _I_ _know_ _you_. And another balloon must’ve popped, because names fall harshly onto their tongue- begging to be coughed up, begging to be heard.

_Ahh, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you._

However, these people can’t be real. Five buried them, both figuratively and literally. Dug a shovel into the metaphorical ground of their mind, and shoved the names and faces into there as carefully as they could without really paying attention; because it hurt too much. Poured gasoline over the decomposing corpses, the rubble too heavy to lift- the bodies too rotten to hold tightly and sleep next too anymore.

 _”This is all your mind’s work, Five.”_ Dolores would say at times like these, she would push a strand of loose black hair beneath her ear- pierce her honey glazed eyes into theirs, and reach into their chest and _rip_ _out_ _their_ _heart_.

_”This is all your mind’s work, dear. You know how you get. Nothing here is real. They’re gone. Stop thinking that way. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!”_

So, they stop. And blink. And they’re gone again. Nothing but burnt flesh. Nothing but burnt flesh, and a dam of water breaking in their eyes.

_ “You have to trust me, dear. I know what’s best for you. I’m all you have.” _

She’s all they have. They need to stop wanting more. **There** **is** **nothing** **more**. That’s what she has engraved into their mind; etched out the words herself, with pen against paper- or stone against stone, maybe bone against bone.

_Dolores never lied to them._

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, fuckers.
> 
> uhhh  
> stan five and watch saiki k season three on netflix
> 
> also i made a vine comp for tua so watch it: https://youtu.be/cUWfycRIXkc


End file.
